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Any tube fly tyers interested in bulk tubing?

5K views 50 replies 19 participants last post by  Steelheader69 
#1 ·
I have a customer who builds marine guages. The tubing used is the type we use for tying tube flies. I can get all the saltwater grade stuff I want (the large diameter tubing). Come in 3' lengths. But that's not what I'm proposing. What I would like to get is the smaller diameter stuff. I know they would come in 3' lengths. My problem is it has to be bought in like 5,000' amounts at a time, since they would be custom made. I have to give her a sample of the smaller tubing which she'll send to them to get an exact quote. But do believe with the dimensions she gave them from the paper in the packaging of the precut tubes they quoted like $0.35 a foot (I believe). But the minimum order would be like $500 worth of this one size tubing. It would be more then a lifetime supply of tubing. But it would be the small tubing, 3/32" OD tubing. I figured if i could get 5 or so people to go in on it, $80 to a $100 would be cheaper then the full $500 (more then I could ever use).

I'm going to give the sample to my customer on Monday, so she can send it to her supplier and find out the actual cost. But let me know if you'd be interested. They would be cut in 3' lengths. Then you could custom cut down from there. I've used her Large stuff, which is the 1/8" OD stuff. It's exactly like the tubing material you buy in the flyshops.

I'm not in a huge rush. But if you're truly interested, I'd like an idea who would like to buy in. I'll find out how much we'd have to buy, and go from there. I do want to buy quite a bit, since I use alot of it anyways. But the buy in for that much is well more then I'd ever use.
 
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#2 ·
100 feet would probably last me a lifetime, so that would be my max I think. About 400 flies. I'd be interested in 50-100ft at your estimated price. If that works for you then count me in. Tube flies are so durable that I seldom need to replace them, but its hard to turn down a good price:)
 
#3 ·
Ok, will let you know. I know they last. But alot of the places I fish it's easy to make donations to the fish Gods. LOL. So it's usually a subsurface structure that takes the tube from me.

I could easily do that though. But hoping to get some guys who will buy in. 100 feet won't be too expensive. I keep thinking it's 1,000's of feet. LOL. But if I can get enough people who will commit to so many amounts, I could make it work.
 
#5 ·
Rick, it's hard plastic, and identicle to HMH. But it's the medium size. The larger size is great for bigger saltwater patterns, but noticed my steelhead flies grow immensely on it. But it's the "small" size. I know HMH has micro, small, and large. The large I can get anytime. She gets it on a regular basis. I could easily get a buy on that, since she's constantly getting it in. I get it for free. Since she'll let me take a few tubes at a time (they are in 3' lengths). But she wouldn't let me just take a ton for free. But could figure out what it would cost for the bigger size for you. But I want to buy in on the small diameter. Problem is, it would be a custom order, and they only extrude so many feet at a time on a custom order, which is ALOT! I do remember it's cheap per foot, but still have to buy like $500 worth.
 
#6 ·
:thumb: Jerry, I'm in, pm me and i'll give you my phone #. Thanks Chris
 
#8 ·
I can get that tubing even cheaper I do believe Daryle. I'm talking about the 3/32 tubing. Or aka small. That's for a custom. And I'll find out the exact price, but was a few thousand feet for the $500 (may have been $0.035 a foot if memory serves me right, I think it was just over 3 cents not 0.35). I'll know more when she sends it in. But I know she buys the 1/8 in such bulk, it's not much at all. Why she lets me take as much as I want when I get there.
 
#10 ·
Will do Daryle. I'm on vacation this week, but head back to work Monday. So will be bringing her a sample to actually ship to the company. I don't want ANY mistakes on their end. Since once they extrude it I have to buy it.
 
#14 ·
Definitely get some more info posted. I may be interested. I get the soft tubing for the 1/8" shit for free. I just cut up IV tubing at work. Where to get the cheap soft tubing for that smaller stuff? Peace

Sean
 
#15 ·
Ok, I should say I'm not ordering the 1/8 (larger tubing). It's for the smaller diameter stuff. I could arrange to get the 1/8th at another time. It's a super common size in the marine industry for guages. So that's easy. But the smaller tubing is the one I'm trying to get organized. Just know they have to extrude so many thousands of feet for a "special order". Probably what HMH does. They are IDENTICLE tubing. If I put the 1/8th stuff she has for marine guages next to the HMH stuff, you wouldn't know the difference. But this is for the smaller diameter stuff that is 3/32 I believe (or labeled small).

I was thinking about this when I was down on my yearly salmon fishing trip with my Dad this week. Was tying up tube flies and realized I needed to bring a sample of the small stuff so she could send it in. Will say, they make a great fly if you're looking for a smaller diameter body.
 
#18 ·
Ok, I won't know exact price until I get the sample out and back. Will let you know. It will be cheaper then buying the HMH. So figured if you want it, buy up your lifetime supply. LOL.
 
#20 ·
Oh, I should add this. These are extruded in straight lengths. So you don't have to heat to unwind or anything. They extrude them and cut them off in 3' lengths.
 
#22 ·
Ok, will do. Guess it takes awhile. Has to be done the snailmail way. LOL. She has my sample of the small tubing. She said she was going to try and get the sample put together and sent out either this coming week or first of next. So will be a couple weeks out before I know anything.
 
#23 ·
Jerry,

I am not sure if this is the exact stuff you are looking for, but here's a link to some 3/16 plastic tubing.

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=15161&step=4&showunits=inches&id=1103&top_cat=181

I will called an order, they are near Ballard.

PS, this particular material has a specific gravity of .98, and if I remember those old lessons, water is 1.0 so it would be neutral boyant. This stuff is cream colored, but the tygon stuff is clear with a SG of 1.2. Slighting heavy. http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=1093&step=2

Both come in .0625 or 3/16
 
#24 ·
That's not the same stuff. Can get that as well from her. This stuff is a bit more rigid, and exactly like the HMH stuff. That stuff is for snaking tubing through areas usually (at least for her guages it is). She buys those by the coil, but this other stuff is extruded in straight lengths since it's a bit more rigid then that stuff. This stuff is actually smaller in diameter. The stuff you are showing is twice the diameter of this stuff. Stuff I'm trying to get is the same as the HMH small tubing, which is 3/32. Great for tying smaller steelhead flies. Some tied on the larger tubing make a pretty big profile. Yours would be a bit larger since it's 3/16 and the large tubing is 1/8th.
 
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